This is a list of Standard English collective nouns. The large number of collective nouns in English is based on a tradition of venery which arose in the Late Middle Ages.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Standard terms for particular groups are listed first in each group and shown in bold.
| Subject | Collective Noun | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| alligators | congregation | ||
| antelope | herd | ||
| ants | army | ||
| bike | |||
| colony | |||
| nest | |||
| swarm | |||
| apes | shrewdness | ||
| troop | |||
| asses | herd | ||
| coffle | a roped line | ||
| drove | driven in a group | ||
| pace or passe | |||
| auks | colony | on land | |
| flock | at sea | ||
| raft | on water | ||
| avocets | colony | ||
| B | |||
| baboons | troop | ||
| badgers | cete | ||
| colony | |||
| barbels | shoal | ||
| bats | cloud | ||
| colony | |||
| bears | sleuth or sloth | ||
| beavers | colony | ||
| family | |||
| bees | swarm | ||
| colony | |||
| erst | |||
| grist | |||
| birds | flock | ||
| dissimulation | fanciful | ||
| fleet | |||
| flight | |||
| parcel | |||
| pod | |||
| volary | in an aviary | ||
| bishops | bench | ||
| bison | herd | ||
| bitterns | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| boars (male pigs) | herd | See also hogs, pigs, swine | |
| singular | |||
| boars (wild boars) | sounder | 12 or more | |
| boys | blush | ||
| buffalo | herd | ||
| gang | |||
| bullfinches | bellowing | ||
| bullocks | drove | driven in a group | |
| bursars | cheat | ||
| bustards | flock | ||
| butlers | draught | ||
| butterflies | flight | ||
| rabble | |||
| buzzards | wake | ||
| C | |||
| capercaillie | tok | ||
| capons | mews | ||
| caribou | herd | ||
| cats | clowder | ||
| cluster or clutter | |||
| glaring | |||
| pounce | |||
| cats (wild cats) | destruction | ||
| caterpillars | army | ||
| cattle | herd | ||
| drove | |||
| chickens | brood | ||
| clutch | |||
| peep | |||
| choughs | chattering or clattering | ||
| civil servants | file | ||
| cobblers | drunkenship or drunkship | ||
| colts | rag | ||
| rake | |||
| cormorants | gulp | ||
| cooks | hastiness | ||
| coots | covert | ||
| coyotes | pack | ||
| cranes | herd | ||
| sedge or sege | |||
| crocodiles | bask | ||
| float | |||
| crows | murder | ||
| curlews | herd | ||
| D | |||
| deer | herd | ||
| bunch | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| rangale | |||
| dogs | pack | ||
| dogfish | troop | ||
| dolphins | pod | ||
| school | |||
| team | |||
| dotterel | trip | ||
| doves | dole or dule | fanciful | |
| flight | |||
| piteousness | fanciful | ||
| ducks | flock | ||
| badling | |||
| brace | |||
| bunch | on water | ||
| paddling | on water | ||
| plump | |||
| raft | on water | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| sord or sore | |||
| string | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| waddling | |||
| dunlins | fling | ||
| E | |||
| eagles | convocation | ||
| eels | bed | ||
| swarm | |||
| elephants | herd | ||
| elk | gang | ||
| F | |||
| ferrets | business | corruption over time of 'busyness' | |
| busyness | |||
| fesnyng | |||
| finches | charm or chirm | ||
| fish | school | ||
| shoal | |||
| flamingoes | stand | ||
| flies | business | ||
| cloud | |||
| swarm | |||
| foresters | stalk | ||
| foxes | leash | ||
| skulk | |||
| frogs | army | ||
| G | |||
| geese | flock | on land | |
| gaggle | on land | ||
| plump | flying close | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| giraffes | herd | ||
| corps | |||
| tower | |||
| gnats | cloud | ||
| horde | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| goats | flock | ||
| herd | |||
| tribe | |||
| trip or trippe | |||
| gods | pantheon | See Pantheon | |
| goldfinches | charm | ||
| goosanders | dopping | ||
| gorillas | band | ||
| whoop | |||
| goshawks | flight | ||
| grasshoppers | cloud | ||
| swarm | |||
| grouse | covey | ||
| pack | |||
| guineafowl | rasp | ||
| H | |||
| hares | down | ||
| drove | |||
| flick | |||
| husk | |||
| hawks | boil | two or more spiralling in flight | |
| cast | |||
| kettle | flying in large numbers | ||
| lease | |||
| harts | herd | ||
| hedgehogs | array | ||
| herons | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| hermits | observance | ||
| hippopotamuses | bloat | ||
| hogs | parcel | See also boars, pigs, swine | |
| horses | team | in harness | |
| band | |||
| haras or harrase | |||
| herd | |||
| stable | |||
| string | |||
| stud | |||
| hounds | pack | ||
| cry | |||
| hunt | |||
| meet | |||
| mute | |||
| stable | |||
| hyenas | cackle | ||
| I | |||
| ibex | herd | ||
| ibises | colony | ||
| iguanas | mess | ||
| insects | flight | ||
| horde | |||
| plague | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| J | |||
| jackdaws | train | ||
| jays | band | ||
| party | |||
| scold | |||
| jellyfish | fluther | ||
| smack | |||
| K | |||
| kangaroos | mob | ||
| troop | |||
| L | |||
| lapwings | deceit or desert | ||
| larks | bevy | ||
| exaltation | |||
| leopards | leap or lepe | ||
| lions | pride | ||
| sawt | |||
| M | |||
| mackerel | shoal | ||
| magpies | charm | ||
| congregation | |||
| gulp | |||
| murder | |||
| tiding | |||
| tittering | |||
| mallard | brace | ||
| flush | |||
| puddling | |||
| sord | |||
| suit or sute | |||
| mares | stud | ||
| martens | richesse or richness | ||
| mice | nest | ||
| trip | |||
| minnows | shoal | ||
| moles | company | ||
| labor or labour | |||
| monkeys | barrel | ||
| cartload | |||
| tribe | |||
| troop | |||
| wilderness | |||
| moorhens | plump | ||
| moose | herd | ||
| mosquitoes | scourge | ||
| mudhens | fleet | ||
| mules | barren | ||
| pack | |||
| rake | |||
| span | |||
| N | |||
| nightingales | watch | ||
| nuns | superfluity | ||
| O | |||
| owls | parliament | ||
| oxen | drove | ||
| team | |||
| yoke | |||
| P | |||
| parrots | company | ||
| pandemonium | |||
| partridges | covey | ||
| peacocks | muster | ||
| ostentation | |||
| pride | |||
| pelicans | pod | ||
| pheasants | bouquet | ||
| head | |||
| nest | |||
| nide | |||
| nye | |||
| pigs | drift | See also boars, hogs, swine | |
| drove | |||
| pipers | poverty | ||
| pigeons | kit | flying together | |
| plovers | congregation | ||
| stand | |||
| wing | |||
| Q | |||
| quail | bevy | ||
| covey | |||
| drift | |||
| R | |||
| raccoons | gaze | ||
| ravens | unkindness | ||
| rhinoceroses | crash | ||
| rooks | building | ||
| parliament | |||
| S | |||
| salmon | bind | ||
| draught | |||
| run | |||
| sandpipers | fling | ||
| seals | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| rookery | |||
| sheep | flock | ||
| down | |||
| drift | when driven in a group | ||
| drove | when driven in a group | ||
| herd | |||
| hurtle | |||
| meinie | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| trip | |||
| sheldrake | dopping | ||
| snails | escargatoire | ||
| rout | |||
| walk | |||
| snakes | bed | ||
| den | |||
| knot | |||
| nest | |||
| pit | |||
| snipe | walk | ||
| whisp or wisp | |||
| sparrows | host | ||
| meinie | |||
| tribe | |||
| spiders | cluster or clutter | ||
| squirrels | colony | ||
| dray | |||
| scurry | |||
| starlings | chattering | ||
| clattering | |||
| cloud | |||
| congregation | |||
| murmuration | |||
| stoats | pack | ||
| trip | |||
| storks | flight | ||
| mustering | |||
| phalanx | when migrating | ||
| swallows | flight | ||
| gulp | |||
| swans | bank | on the ground | |
| bevy | |||
| drift | |||
| eyrar | |||
| flight | |||
| game | |||
| herd | |||
| lamentation | fanciful | ||
| sownder | |||
| team | |||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| whiting | |||
| swifts | flock | ||
| scream | |||
| swine | doylt | See also boars, hogs, pigs | |
| drift | |||
| trip | |||
| T | |||
| teal | spring | ||
| tigers | ambush | ||
| streak | |||
| toads | knot | ||
| nest | |||
| trout | hover | ||
| turkeys | gang | ||
| rafter | |||
| turtles | bale | ||
| dole | |||
| nest | |||
| turtle doves | dole or dule | ||
| pitying | |||
| U | |||
| V | |||
| vipers | nest | ||
| W | |||
| walruses | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| waterfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | |||
| raft | |||
| weasels | colony | ||
| pack | |||
| whales | gam | ||
| herd | |||
| mob | |||
| pod | |||
| wigeons | company | ||
| trip | |||
| wildfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | fewer than 30 | ||
| plump | |||
| trip | |||
| wolves | pack | ||
| rout or route | when in movement | ||
| woodcocks | fall | ||
| woodpeckers | descent | ||
| wrens | herd | ||
| X | |||
| Y | |||
| Z | |||
| zebras | herd | ||
| cohort | |||
| zeal |
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Top A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, collective and/or nouns:
“Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.”
—Janet Frame (b. 1924)
“Religious literature has eminent examples, and if we run over our private list of poets, critics, philanthropists and philosophers, we shall find them infected with this dropsy and elephantiasis, which we ought to have tapped.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The last man of the world-city no longer wants to live—he may cling to life as an individual, but as a type, as an aggregate, no, for it is a characteristic of this collective existence that it eliminates the terror of death.”
—Oswald Spengler (1880–1936)
“All the facts of nature are nouns of the intellect, and make the grammar of the eternal language. Every word has a double, treble or centuple use and meaning.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)